We only know of cognition when there is a functioning brain present, we have seen no cognition where a brain was not present. That is, we have never observed mind without brain.

Leo- I disagree experiments in the cross correspondences for example clearly show mediums can obtain information from the otherside. Also other survival evidence clearly show that the mind can exist independent from the physical brain.

- Animals with more evolved, more complex brains always exhibit more intelligence and emotions than those with less evolved, less complex brains.

Leo- Yes a more advanced tv will take in the channels better too.

- Interventions in very specific parts of the brain result in very specific changes in cognitive function.

Leo- Ok yes just like changes in my tv will cause changes in my reception

- Mental illness has a strong genetic component.

Leo- Yes but this doesn't show that mind is produced by the brain

- We are learning to read brain activity and make sense of it in terms of emotions and thoughts.

Leo- Yes we are but that doesn't tell us if the brain is a producer of consciousness or the receiver of consciousness.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Commonly Parapsychology and Psychical Research are called pseudoscience because of the phenomena they deal with. For example Parapsychology deals mainly with psi phenomena, sometimes life after death phenomena too. Where Psychical Research main focus is the survival question do we survive?. The claim made by many skeptics is that the evidence for survival and psi are not. Psi phenomena for example is verifiable and repeatable and has been shown to exist for over a century now. Even Richard Wiseman admits this but says that even though the scientific method shows it exists, that we should have a higher standard of evidence for it. This obviously is a cop out based on the fact that the scientific method is the best method we have of testing things.

Read this forum post for a good example of what closed mindeness means.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Well we don't mean a materialist in the way of material goods such as money. What we mean is the view that all of reality is material and that their is nothing beyond the material reality we are in. A lot of materialists lately use the new scientist article " Creationists declare war on the brain", as a factual report on how dualists are similiar to creationists in the way they devise arguments. This of course is completely false, that is like saying an orange is similiar to an apple. The difference is that their is overwhelming evidence that supports dualism where creationism relies on the bible, a book that is based on faith. Typically materialists say we the mind is separate from the brain along with consciousness then whatever scientist proved that would get a nobel prize. How ironic is that but when a dualist points out the fact that a appeal of authority for example the majority of neuroscientists believe mind is a process of the brain doesn't mean it's true.

This of course, strikes a nerve at the materialist. But it doesn't end there no the materialist claims their is verifiable repeatable evidence that mind is a process of the brain that we had this evidence for over 50 years. Of course if we really did have this evidence then the case would be closed. There would be no hard problem of consciousness.

Monday, October 5, 2009

There are three options when it comes the survival hypothesis that could be true. Of course for us to survive death we would need self awareness along with the astral body. If we just had the astral body that is similiar but slightly different than the physical body then it would be just a zombie without self awareness. That is what makes us who we are. Also if only self-awareness survive death but no astral body then their is endless reincarnation. But if both remain intact once we die then an afterlife plus the possibility of reincarnation as well would be factual. To me after looking at all of the evidence that supports the survival hypothesis i would have to go with self awareness+astral body both remain intact after biological death of the physical body.

Here is a list of some of the phenomena that appear to point towards one or more of the options above.

Reincarnation evidence [Ian Stevenson's 21 best cases]- Indicative of self awareness surviving death but not indicative of an astral body also surviving

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Many philosophers along with scientists would concede so. That any alternatives to naturalism must be avoided. That would include idealism along with dualism. It is true in nature all we see is natural phenomena, even though naturalism has succeeded in many frontiers. It runs a road block when it comes to consciousness itself and the nature of reality. The fact is dualism can explain all of the successes that naturalism can because dualism implies both natural phenomena and paranormal phenomena. Of course, if you concede that consciousness is just an illusion generated by the brain along with free will, and that no paranormal phenomena exist, then just monism[naturalism] is correct. One of the big reasons why most scientists are naturalists is because of the fear of god or religion is one of the best reasons for believing naturalism is right.

Of course, that reasoning is an appeal to fear than it is of following the evidence wherever that may leads us. When i say a fear of religion i don't mean a fear of going to church. What i mean is a fear of being associated with anything that sounds religious such as ghosts, poltergeists, mental mediumship etc. Of course, while mainstream scientists who the majority are naturalists feel no need to be associated with anything that sounds religious. Some mainstream scientists such as William James along with other scientists gathered an enormous amount repeatable scientific evidence that support the survival hypothesis. This is of course not what these psychical researchers ever imagine would happen. They wanted to show that all psychics were frauds, cold readers etc. I will say however there are some naturalist's are are openfully honest about their position [Searle, Lycan, Nagel along with a few others].